"The Touch"
Song by Stan Bush
from the album The Transformers The Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Released1986
Genre
Length3:55
LabelScotti Brothers
Songwriter(s)Lenny Macaluso and Stan Bush
Producer(s)Richie Wise

"The Touch" is a rock song by American singer and guitarist Stan Bush. The song features prominently in the 1986 animated film The Transformers: The Movie, and appears on the soundtrack album released that year.

History

"The Touch" was released as a double A-side single with "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Dare to Be Stupid", another song from the soundtrack album of the Transformers movie. The power ballad[1] was also released in 1987 on Stan Bush & Barrage's self-titled album.[2] The song was inspired by a line in the movie Iron Eagle, and originally written for the Sylvester Stallone film Cobra.[3][4] Its inclusion on the Transformers soundtrack was Bush's first exposure to the franchise.

The song was performed by Mark Wahlberg in Paul Thomas Anderson's 1997 film Boogie Nights.[5] In 1997, Bush re-recorded the song and "Dare" (another song from The Transformers: The Movie) for the BotCon exclusive soundtrack CD Til All Are One. Bush submitted a different re-recorded version of the song from his album In This Life for the 2007 live action Transformers film, but it was not included on the final soundtrack. He later recorded another version, subtitled "Sam's Theme", for possible inclusion in the 2009 sequel Revenge of the Fallen.[6] The 2009 version differs markedly from the original and 2007 versions, adding rap verses and being more melancholic in tone, with it being described as a "redux a la Linkin Park".[7] In 2010, Bush released a music video for "The Touch: Sam's Theme" on his YouTube channel, featuring clips from the first two Transformers films. The song was edited with the rap verses removed, and was included in the 2010 album Dream the Dream.[8]

The 2007 version of "The Touch" was released as a free downloadable track for the video game Guitar Hero World Tour on May 28, 2009.[9] Bush had expressed interest in wanting the song to appear in the game or in competing music game Rock Band. On October 12, 2010, the song was released as a downloadable track for Rock Band through the Rock Band Network.[10]

On September 15, 2012, Bush released another remix of the song as "The Touch (Power Mix)" on iTunes.[11] The "Power Mix" is a variation of "Sam's Theme" with a new chorus arrangement. Also included in the single is "The Touch (Epic Guitar Mix)", which, like the 1997 and 2007 versions, is a re-recording of the original song.

References

  1. ^ "24 of the Biggest and Best Movie Power Ballads". Denofgeek.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "Stan Bush & Barrage (3) – Stan Bush & Barrage". Discogs. Zink Media, Inc. 1987. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  3. ^ "The Touch by Stan Bush - Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  4. ^ Riesman, Abraham (June 26, 2014). "Do You Have ‘The Touch’? Learn the Bizarre History of the Greatest Transformers Song Ever". Vulture.
  5. ^ "Do You Have 'The Touch'? Learn the Bizarre History of the Greatest Transformers Song Ever". June 26, 2014.
  6. ^ Sciretta, Peter (May 14, 2009). "Transformers 2 Remake of Stan Bush's "The Touch"". /Film. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  7. ^ "Stan Bush Remakes "The Touch"". tfw2005. May 14, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  8. ^ "Stan Bush The Touch Dream the Dream Official Video - Transformers News - TFW2005". Tfw2005.com. September 2, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  9. ^ de Matos, Xav (March 19, 2009). "Stan Bush's 'The Touch' coming to Guitar Hero". Joystiq. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  10. ^ Fahey, Mike (October 6, 2008). "Stan Bush Wants "The Touch" In Guitar Hero, Rock Band". Kotaku. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  11. ^ ""The Touch (Power Mix)" - Single by Stan Bush". iTunes. September 15, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
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